Hi guys! I know I usually update every Wednesday, but I had such inspiration this week that I kind of finished this chapter early. Haha, I love those moments of inspiration. They are kind of hard to come by.

At this point in our story, Kurt is completely going insane while waiting to hear the outcome of the Howlin' Bulldogs auditions. The week-long wait will feel like an eternity for him… Until Sebastian intervenes!

Once again, I thank you all for following this crazy tale and I hope you enjoy this installment!

Two days following the Howlin' Bulldogs auditions already felt like an eternity for Kurt.

He awoke early that bright Saturday morning and immediately checked his cell phone, e-mail, and Facebook for any messages. Alas, there were none. He knew in the back of his mind that he absolutely wouldn't know anything until the list was posted the coming Thursday, but his nerves were getting the better of him.

He collapsed with a sigh on his bed, massaging his face. With the exception of classes, he had kept himself secluded and shut out from the rest of the world by locking himself up in his dorm room. He passed the days doing assignments, reading, or building houses made of cards. The wait was slowly driving him mad.

To make matters worse, he'd already turned down lunch plans with Sebastian twice because he just didn't feel like doing anything. It was clear from Sebastian's texts that he was concerned but Kurt wouldn't budge. "Seriously, how long are you going to keep this up, Kurt?" Kurt hadn't responded.

He dug through his book nook and produced the copy of The Arabian Nights he'd started to read. He didn't even bother changing out of his pajamas. He saw no reason if he was planning to stay indoors all day.

Just then, there was a pounding on the door, startling him. "Come on, Kurt! I know you're in there!"

It was Sebastian. Kurt rolled his eyes, knowing that whatever his friend had planned to say or do would not get him out of the dorm. He reluctantly opened the door. "Hey, Sebastian," he said blandly.

"Don't you 'Hey, Sebastian' me!" Sebastian stormed into the room. "This is an intervention! I come to you now as your good friend and caretaker. I told you you've got nothing to worry about!"

Kurt shrugged. "Say that to my nerves…"

"This isn't healthy, Kurt! You've got to get out of here and get some fresh air and sunshine!"

"No thank you," Kurt said, holding the door open, gesturing for the boy to leave. "This is my own personal issue, and it's best if I deal with it on my own."

Sebastian shook his head. "You leave me no choice." He slammed the door shut and said, "Take off your pajamas."

Kurt's eyes widened, looking mortified. "Are you insane?"

"TAKE OFF YOUR PAJAMAS!"

"Alright, alright!" Kurt knew he couldn't argue with someone who was physically stronger than him at the risk of getting his ass kicked. He reluctantly stepped out of his pajamas and stood there, completely exposed, save for his underwear and socks. Sebastian inwardly giggled at how scrawny and pasty the boy was.

"Now put some real clothes on."

Kurt shook his head. "Oh, no. I told you, I'm not leaving!"

Sebastian's perturbed expression turned into a death glare and Kurt knew not to argue. He quickly shuffled over to his closet and selected a rather bright pink vintage screen tee with the famous Andy Warhol gun on it in neon green. He also slipped into a pair of black slim-fit jeans and stood before Sebastian with his arms outstretched. "There. Happy?"

Sebastian fixed his glasses and grinned. It was the first smile Kurt had seen on the young man's face since he arrived. "Great! Now let's get out of here."

Kurt also pulled a gray hoodie sweater from the closet and put it on. It was autumn after all and even though the weather had been sunny, the air carried a slight coolness. "But where are we going?"

"We're creating a diversion! I guarantee by this evening, you'll have forgotten all about those stupid auditions."

Kurt ran his hands through his hair, completely exasperated, and apprehensively stepped over the threshold of his dorm. He closed the door behind him with finality as he followed Sebastian downstairs.

Sebastian's white Kia Optima finally broke through the heavy lines of traffic that caused the usual morning congestion on the Brooklyn Bridge. He seemed absolutely intent on where he was going, but Kurt marveled as he always did at the tall buildings that seemed to swallow them up. He always loved going to New York and he hoped that they weren't simply passing through en route to someplace else.

Luckily for him, they came to a stop somewhere on West 53rd Street. Sebastian got out of the car without saying a word and opened the door for Kurt like a true gentleman. "Thank you," he said with a reluctant smile and zipped up his sweater against the early morning chill that seemed to follow them from New Haven to Manhattan.

It was then that Kurt noticed the sign alongside the building. "The Museum of Modern Art?"

Sebastian nodded. "You like art, don't you?"

"Well yeah, but…" Kurt shook his head. "Look, Sebastian, this is all very nice of you to go out of your way for me, but I really don't think this is going to work…"

"Now, now, let's not hear another word about it," Sebastian replied firmly. "It's my treat." He took Kurt by the arm. "Come on. Let's go lose ourselves for an hour or two."

Before Kurt could say anything, he was being whisked through the glass doors.

Kurt had never been to the Museum of Modern Art before. Only after a few minutes within its vast cavernous galleries did he immediately regret not going sooner. The place was full of beautiful, brilliant artwork by some of the Western world's most famous and notable artists, painters, and sculptors. Van Gogh, Warhol, Kahlo, Miró, and even Dalí were all on display, and Kurt loved each and every one.

He was also quite amused and grateful that he went with Sebastian his first time around. His new friend had quite an unusual and unconventional way of looking at art. He'd linger over a piece and look at it from each and every angle, sometimes even lying down on the floor to gaze up at it. Kurt had never laughed so hard and the two of them were receiving curious and even disapproving glances from the other patrons, but Sebastian simply shrugged them off. "They don't know a damn thing about art," he'd said to Kurt. "They're just here to fill a 'cultural void' that's been accumulating inside them. Besides, I can't think of a better place to be unconventional than at an art museum."

Kurt had giggled. He couldn't have agreed more.

A few hours had passed and the boys found themselves lying on the hardwood floor in the middle of a Jackson Pollock exhibit, gazing up at one of the artist's more well-known paintings which had been displayed on the ceiling. The Dave Brubeck Quartet's classic jazz composition "Kathy's Waltz" wafted into the room from somewhere, seeming to make the artwork come to life.

"Did you know Jackson Pollock's paintings were immediately condemned by the House Un-American Activities Committee back in the 1950s?" Sebastian shook his head in disgust. "That moron Senator McCarthy thought they were Soviet road maps carrying hidden communist messages. How stupid could he be?"

Kurt laughed. "They're wonderful. Despite the fact that it's just splashes of color on a canvas, you can still see the beauty and wonder of it. They're absolutely breathtaking."

"Aren't they though? And listen to that music…" Sebastian closed his eyes in rapture. "Listen, Kurt. Jazz is so true and honest. It's the only music that has somehow managed to capture the rhythm of life. I mean, think about it. Life is syncopated and complex. It's not rigid or structured like classical. It's chaotic but somehow it all comes together. It's just like jazz."

Kurt closed his eyes as well and listened. Indeed, with each crescendo, blue note, and syncopated beat, he felt his own heart beat in time with the music.

In the silence that lingered between them, Kurt suddenly felt a hand clasp around his own. Eyes fluttering open, he looked and saw Sebastian's hand in his, the fingers intertwining.

"Feel that rhythm, Kurt. It's like it becomes a part of us, linking all of humanity together as one."

Kurt continued to look down at their intertwined hands. It was a deeply personal moment and signified a huge barrier that had been broken since the two became friends. A smile formed on his lips as he closed his eyes once more and laid there on the floor, letting the music wash over him.

As it was, Sebastian had been absolutely right about Kurt forgetting the Howlin' Bulldogs auditions. By noon, it had been delightfully expelled from his mind.

After their trip to the Museum of Modern Art, the two hopped back into the car and drove out to Coney Island, where they enjoyed its numerous games and attractions, the best hot dogs Kurt had ever eaten, and a ride on the Wonder Wheel, the largest Ferris wheel on the East Coast.

Dizzy from the bright lights and Technicolor thrills by late afternoon, they decided to head back into the City, where they attended a three-film retrospective at the New York Silent Film Festival in Tribeca. The two young men sat in a darkened movie palace and watched newly-restored reels of Georges Méliès' A Trip to the Moon, a Charlie Chaplin classic called City Lights, and the first-ever Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Wings.

By the time the retrospective was over, it was close to nine o'clock at night. Kurt stumbled out of the theater, Sebastian in tow. They were both talking animatedly about the films they'd just seen.

"That Charlie Chaplin was an absolute genius," Kurt said, shaking his head in awe. "I tell you, that ending in City Lights… I don't think I'll ever get over it as long as I live."

Sebastian smiled. "It's one of the most moving endings in all of cinema," he said. "What did you think of the other two films?" He was genuinely curious, especially since Kurt had told him that he'd never seen a silent film before.

"I loved A Trip to the Moon. Méliès had a very good eye for the fanciful and whimsical. And Wings, it most definitely deserved the first Academy Award! Clara Bow was so lovely and Gary Cooper so dreamy and handsome…" Kurt trailed off.

"Well, I'm glad you've finally found your type," Sebastian added with a smirk.

"Shut up," Kurt laughed, playfully smacking him on the arm.

The boys walked in silence for about a block before Kurt finally decided to speak up. "Sebastian, thank you."

Sebastian smiled. "For what, might I ask?"

"For today," Kurt replied. "I had the most wonderful time. You really are fun to be around."

In the luminescent glow of a streetlight, he could swear he saw Sebastian's cheeks flush. "Still thinking about those auditions?"

Kurt's lips curled up into a smirk. "Not in the least."

"Good boy," Sebastian said with a smile. He suddenly giggled. "Funny, you talk as if the night is over."

Kurt was confused. "It… It's not?"

The handsome young man shook his head. "There's one more thing I'd like to show you," he said in a soft voice. "I promise you you're going to love it."

"What is it?"

"It's a surprise," Sebastian said with a charming grin. "You'll see."

Kurt's heart beat excitedly. He always loved a good surprise, and if the entire day hadn't been an indication, his friend knew exactly how to deliver.

Kurt heard a ding, heavy doors opening, and felt a cool breeze on his face as Sebastian guided him by the shoulders out of what he assumed was an elevator. He had no idea where he was because the boy had asked him to close his eyes.

"Sebastian," he said. "Can I open my eyes yet?"

"Not yet, but really soon, I promise." Kurt could tell that his friend was smiling while saying this which caused him to be even more excited.

They walked for a little bit longer until Kurt felt his shoes bump into a solid mass which he assumed was some sort of wall or barrier.

"Okay," Sebastian said, and Kurt could feel him step away. "Open your eyes."

Kurt's sea-blue eyes fluttered open and he immediately felt all manner of speech and conversation cease as he was completely breathless.

He was standing on the edge of the observation deck atop the Empire State Building. The entire, sprawling view of Manhattan and places beyond sparkled and gleamed like a million diamonds in the night. Kurt held a hand to his heart, completely taken aback.

"Oh, Sebastian," he finally managed to say. "It's... Beautiful."

Sebastian laughed. "It's gorgeous, isn't it?"

"Yes," Kurt said, overwhelming tears of joy and happiness streaming down his cheeks. He was silent for quite some time. He couldn't even will himself to speak because the view was so breathtaking and stunning.

Sebastian simply stood behind and watched his good friend marvel at the spectacle of the grand, sweeping view. It was then that he noticed the sparkle in Kurt's eye. It was a sparkle he'd never seen before, or simply hadn't noticed.

Sebastian suddenly realized that he had been staring blankly and unknowingly at Kurt for a good minute. Luckily for him, the boy hadn't noticed. That was weird, he thought. Shaking his head, he took a stand at Kurt's side and pointed out all the famous Manhattan landmarks that glistened like jewels in the streets far below.

To be continued…